Oldguy

Mech, the tip cleaner I used does not have serrations all the way to the end of the wire, so I'm sure I just pushed out some chrud blocking the passage. American Honda power equipment lists a carb tip cleaner set that looks a lot like welding tip cleaners, so I'm not so keen on banishing them from anyone's toolbox, but having said that I do think that they can be miss used by novices who don't understand the how sensitive jets are to modification. I'd much prefer to replace it with an OEM jet of the same size or a different size if the engine has been modified. I firmly believe in letting the engine tell us what it wants in the fuel system. I do that me riding the vehicle and doing a spark plug color check.

I tested the original HF compression gauge on a GL1800 and got 150 psi. That bike is rated at 200 psi. So, it was 50 psi lower then actual compression. That's more then I want to see.

Over the years I have found that most compression gauges are of poor quality. I don't mean the Snap-On or Mac gauges, but the ones you buy from the auto parts store or HF. In my case I spent more on a good gauge head from Snap-On then I did for the complete tester set from HF, but as I said in my earlier post, IT WOULD NOT READ OVER 150 PSI

A few months ago, I helped a friend clear the pilot circuit on a CT70 carb. Similar to a TRX70. The passage to the idle mixture screw and outlet were clear, but the outlet just behind the back edge of the throttle slide was blocked when we tested the circuit by spraying carb cleaner through it. I took a fine wire from a welding tip cleaner set and pushed it down into the port. I could feel some resistance and then it pushed through. I don't recall if we saw the dirt that was obstructing the port, but the engine idled and accelerated normally after that. I think it is VERY important to test the passages by spraying something through them before giving it back to the customer. And don't forget to check that all if the air jets are in place too!

I have one of their compression testers and it would not go over 150 psi. I replaced the gauge with a Snap-On gauge head and now it works fine. Note that most Honda small bore engines should have 180 psi normal compression with a service limit of 150 psi. The fittings and hoses are excellent, but mine didn't have threads at the end of the different hoses for a Shrader valve, so I tapped the hose end and fitted them.